A blog for my students, and anyone else interested in the Latino/Hispanic presence in the Pittsburgh area.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

...Local Small Business: Main Street Deli of Munhall (the Subway alternative)

Main Street, USA.

A term for your small-town business district. Most towns have a "Main Street" whether it is named "Main Street" or something else. For example, the "Main Street" in Homestead is 8th Avenue, or in the Strip District, it's Penn Avenue. It's the main road where small businesses - and some big businesses - thrive.

My own town (really, a borough) does not have a "Main Street". West Mifflin, small borough that it is, has some unique big businesses - a mall (Century III, which has unfortunately been failing), an airport (Allegheny County Airport), and even an amusement park (Kennywood Park). The borough itself is hourglass-shaped, and at one time, was divided between two different high schools, "West Mifflin North" and "West Mifflin South". The North-South rivalry mentality still exists for some people who have lived here for 30 years or more, still creating a community divide.

Main Streets bring people together:

Why drive to get dinner, when you can walk a few blocks to get it?

Need milk? Walk up to the convenience store to get more.

Have you seen Emily lately? Yeah, I just ran into her while walking up to the ice cream shop for dessert.

I wish we had a main street to bring us together.

On a lighter note: I love having the Monday after Easter off - it's like a free day off. No preparing for a holiday, only a day to do...whatever. Most other people have to go to work, so it's a great day to "get things done". In fact, I spent my entire morning working out at the gym, which was relatively empty, then took a run/walk from Riverfront Park in the South Side to Station Square.

I needed to get lunch, but I was met with a dilemma - I was gross. Sweaty. Smelly. I didn't want to sit somewhere and eat in this condition. Take-out was my only option, for my sake and the sake of others.

Panera? No, I'll definitely run into kids there. Subway at Kennywood Mall? Yeah, DEFINITELY going to run into people there. Subway in Munhall? Eh, maybe if it's not crowded...

...it was. Of course.

A flash of brilliance struck me as I turned by the cemetery - drive up to Main Street in Munhall and go to Main Street Deli. You've been meaning to go there, anyway...

I've patronized businesses on Main Street before - CoGo's, Pamper Yourself (for mani/pedi's), and Marie's Dress Shop for a bridesmaid's dress alteration. The great thing about parking on Main Street is that it's free - even though the parking is on-street and requires parallel parking. However, I was lucky to find a spot that I could pull right into without holding up traffic.

Main Street Deli, Munhall

I had never seen the menu, nor did I even know what all they had, but the guy at the counter was very friendly in pointing out what they had - many different types and sizes of hoagies, plus chicken hoagies, salads, and wraps. After being indecisive, I finally settled upon a Buffalo Chicken Wrap with a wheat tortilla, plus added chips (pretzels) and a drink (Cherry Coke Zero - I didn't even know this existed, so I had to have it) - all to go (as I could feel myself festering):

Buffalo Chicken Wrap on wheat, Pretzels, Cherry Coke Zero

All of this cost me $9.04. More than Subway, but worth it, for a few reasons:

1.) I did not run into anyone I knew.

2.) I did not come out smelling like Subway (they bake their own bread, I know, but the stench sticks to every fibrous part of you - clothes, hair, shoelaces - everything).

3.) The service was quick and friendly (there is a woman at the Kennywood Mall Subway who is so, so mean - I hate when she waits on me. Customer service training needed).

4.) This wrap was great. I always talk about iceberg lettuce in my Mexican food being a bad thing - iceberg lettuce in my Buffalo Chicken wrap is not a bad thing. It's American. It adds a certain amount of crunch to the wrap, while not overpowering the taste of the buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and seasoning that went with the chicken - and the chicken was plentiful. To get your money's worth at Subway, you really need to load on the veggies - and the meat is lost. Chicken is protein, and protein keeps you full - and I was very full for a long time after eating this wrap.

A great value, undoubtedly.

Other people I know who have gone to Main Street Deli have raved about the salads, which may need to be next on my list for another visit - which will happen, for sure.

Despite the fact that I got take-out, there is an eat-in area, if you're not smelly and gross like I was. I didn't want to seem creepy, so this is the best pic I could get:

Yup, you can eat back there. It's bigger than it seems - bad angle!

Also sold at Main Street Deli. NANCY B's COOKIES. If you have never had a Nancy B Chocolate Chip Cookie, your life is not complete. The bakery itself is at a weird location, across from the BP Station at the 8th Avenue/7th Avenue intersection in West Homestead, and looks like an underground cookie operation - but those kind of places tend to the best products. If you fear venturing there for the cookie, get it at Main Street Deli.

Yup, right there on the counter - Nancy B's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not many left there on this day...

Although I passed on the cookie for dessert, I did have dessert at home. Given that it was the day after Easter, I had received a "basket" of Easter candy from my mom (yes, at the age of 31 - don't judge):

My at-home dessert aside - Munhall residents should feel lucky to have a place like this so close, right on their Main Street. So many areas of Munhall are within walking distance, and the weather is getting warmer - take a walk to Main Street for dinner, lunch, breakfast, dessert - and burn off some of the calories in the process. If you live further, you can always call in your order ahead of time and pick it up (I do that with Smoke BBQ Taqueria quite frequently) OR have it delivered (if you live in Lincoln Place, Munhall, West Mifflin, Whitaker, The Waterfront, or West Homestead).

Subway doesn't deliver. Just saying.

Whatever it takes to get to Main Street Deli, get there, in lieu of the usual trip to Subway.

4 comments:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS OF SUPPORT AND YOUR PATRONAGE!!! A SMALL FAMILY BUSINES, SUCH AS OURS, THRIVES ON CUSTOMERS LIKE YOURSELF, WHOM SPREAD THE WORD AND KEEP US GOING! WE DO WHAT WE DO, EVERYDAY BECAUSE WE ENJOY MAKINNG PEOPLE HAPPY...THE REASON WHY WE TREAT EVERY CUSTOMER THE SAME AS WE TREATED YOU!!! THANKS AGAIN AND HOPE TO SEE YOU, AND A FRIEND OR TWO...REAL SOON!

Honestly, what are you paying at Subway for all of that? like 8 bucks and change. On top of that, service at Subway is universally crap wherever you are. And it sticks with you the whole day, whether it be the stink mentioned above or the terrible heartburn, which is seemingly inevitable. I'd opt for a local joint like this every single time.